Today CD Projekt Red had its third episode of Night City Wire, a showcase that gives us an insight into its upcoming sci-fi RPG. Out of the variety of trailers that have given us a more in-depth look at what Night City will feel like, we got to see the gangs that control the six districts across the city. The video shows how they act and look, but nothing deeper, so let us go into explaining every gang in Cyberpunk 2077.
Each gang will offer interactions as your roam freely in the world while also having quests to complete. The studio did confirm that you cannot join any of them as mercenaries, which you play as with V, are not trusted to that degree of joining the ranks.
Do note that much of this information is not complete, as we can only know so much through what we learned today and extra tidbits from wikis. On launch, we will get a closer look at the dangerous criminals who plague this fictional city based in California.
9. Tyger Claws
Facing off against the Tyger Claws
Head to Japantown to find the Tyger Claws. This Japanese gang is found both on the sunny streets of Night City while committing much of its business in the criminal underworld in a similar fashion to Japan’s Yakuza along with stereotypes found in film and other video games. They started off small in 2020, and around 2077, they changed their name to what we know them as which solidified their placement as one of the dangerous organizations in the game.
They rely on martial arts and traditional weaponry while utilizing cyberware. The tech used consists of mostly reflex boosters, augmented cyberlimbs, pain editors, and ECM systems shrouded as tattoos. Another tool comes from their preference in transportation, which is usually motorcycles.
The professional part of their operation walks the line we mentioned earlier between the streets of Night City and criminal activity. They own bars, restaurants, braindance clubs, brothels, and casinos. This variety of businesses beats out anything owned by the other gangs. These are legal, but fronts for crimes like drug production, human trafficking, money laundering and prostitution. They also dabble in hit jobs and associate themselves with Arasaka, one of the biggest corporations in security, banking and manufacturing.
8. Moxes
Moxes shouldn’t give you too much trouble
On a much smaller and less dangerous scale, Moxes or The Mox set themselves up out of the strip club Lizzie’s Bar with a side of brothels scattered around. The gang formed in 2076 after the owner, Elizabeth Borden, was killed. The criminals who spawned to take her place represent her values by taking care of the men and women who work at the business like protecting them from any abuse.
The Tyger Claws killed Borden. One of her workers was raped and murdered by some men from the Japantown based organization. She avenged the work’s death by killing three Tygers and displayed their bodies in front of her shop. After the rival gang avenged their fallen men by killing Borden, it began a series of riots and the birth of the gang who now control Lizzie’s Bar.
Unlike the Tyger Claws exclusivity of Asian men and women, this group consists of sex workers, anarchists, punks and sexual minorities. They dress inexpensively in a similar fashion to prostitutes while having plenty of punk influences with their style. Don’t let that fool you; looking at them, you can still tell these people are gangsters.
The leading reason behind The Mox not being threatening is that they are non-confrontational. They stick to their braindance and brothel businesses without getting into too much trouble, as long as you behave. While they still have a bad relationship with the Tygers, things are peaceful over at Lizzie’s Bar.
7. Voodoo Boys
Maman Brigitte and Placide, the leaders of the Voodoo Boys
Some people in Night City think the Voodoo Boys are a myth due to their high exclusivity that is hard to penetrate and how they stick to the shadows rather than popping off in the criminal underworld. We do know their demographic of gangsters is primarily Haitian and Dominican. They take care of those communities within the Pacifica District, especially since a natural disaster devastated their homes in the early 2060s. It is hard to track why and what they do because of their chaotic nature of sporadic, senseless violence is a mix of their natural state and a constant drug-induced state their members are in.
The motives behind this group are unknown, except for their obsession to crack any secrets of The Net, a major telecommunications system. Their cybercrimes have gotten the attention of the London based policing organization, NetWatch. These crimes consist of hacking databanks and accounts.
6. Valentinos
Jackie, one of the main characters of the game, was a part of the Valentinos
The Valentinos are a Latino based gang that has grown over the years to rival groups like the Tyger Claws in numbers. They operate across Heywood, The Glen and Vista Del Rey.
Community and traditions are a significant part of their culture. Celebrating holidays within various Latino cultures, mostly Mexican as that is the dominant demographic in this gang, but others are celebrated too. When a member dies, whether its police or gangs, they are remembered through songs and murals. This sense of family makes betrayal the greatest crime you can commit against the Valentinos.
The look follows both what real LA Latino gangs dress like and how stereotypes are portrayed through various forms of media. Jewelry and tattoos are shown off while driving lowrider cars. Their weaponry is flashy with gold and silver attachments. Meanwhile, their cyberware consists of reflex boosters, autoloaders and augmented cyberlimbs.
Regarding their legal practices for income, they own restaurants, auto shops and nightclubs. When it comes to criminal activity, anything you can think of is something these people will do. Whether its drug and car trafficking, gun smuggling, robbery, hit jobs and illegal weapon and car modifications.
5. Maelstrom
Watch out for these guys
Meet the most dangerous group of thugs you will encounter in Cyberpunk 2077, Maelstrom. These highly modified people barely resemble human beings due to their extreme modifications. You can find them mostly by the Docks or in industrial districts like Watson.
They formed out of the remains of the various factions like the Red Chrome Legion and Ironsights. Those groups were nearly killed off the face of Night City by the Inquisitors. While they are hostile towards everyone, this history means an extra dose of danger towards any member of the Inquisitors.
Clothing is mostly leather and chrome. Think of the way bikers dress, but with less focus on motorcycles and the vast majority of the members suffer from a mental illness known as Cyberpsychosis.
These cyberware fanatics lost their minds to technology. They are not only obsessed with embedding their bodies with it, but they also have a fascination with The Net.
The revenue flows from hit jobs, which are performed in a brutal fashion, and drug trafficking. They also own a club in an abandoned factory called the Totentanz Club. The club is popular amongst the gangs. While it is operated openly to criminals, the police leave it alone as it deals with thugs and could make things more dangerous if the favored hangout spot got shutdown.
4. Wraiths
Wraiths, one of the two major players in the Badlands
The Wraiths are on the outskirts of Night City, known as the Badlands, which, if you play as a Nomad as your life path, you will have plenty of time getting to know this group along with the Aldecaldos.
Wraiths are not trustworthy, making them highly dangerous. While they dabble with mercenary work, they often betray their clients to take all of the rewards for themselves. The only ones that can trust them are within their group as family is everything.
They love their vehicles, especially the 1,000 horsepower car called the Reaver (which you can get a Mad Max Fury Road inspired edition of the vehicle). The other equipment used varies from reflex boosters, pain editors, heavily modified cars and whatever military-grade gear they pick up during a raid.
The money they make comes mostly from raiding surrounding groups in the desert or hitting corp transports.
3. Aldecaldos
A look at the Badlands
The Aldecaldos are the second major players in the Badlands and have a conflict between the Wraiths.
As the first family who formed as Nomads, originating from Los Angeles. Eventually, they found themselves closer to Night City. They don’t have a true home as they tend to migrate from one camp to another.
Unlike their rivals, Aldecaldos will work with you when forming a deal on a job. Outside of hiring mercenaries for business, they perform manual labor gigs for others, scavenge materials and bootlegging stolen goods.
2. 6th Street
Members of the patriotic gang
6th Street is a diverse, patriotic group of gun-loving criminals who think of themselves as the law, even though their definition is questionable. You can find them in the Heywood.
The founders fought in the Fourth Corporate War that took place between 2021 to 2025. That resulted in them felt NCPD was not useful in helping their communities.
They dress in a mix of military-style garb and patriotic clothing. Everything from tactical vests, combat boots and American flag styled masks. On the cyber fashion side of things, they have cyberoptics, pain editors and health monitors.
To pay the rent, they have involvement in robbery, extortion and gun smuggling with connections to the Nomads on various jobs. Their theft and modification in vehicles is some of the best in Night City. They are especially popular with mercenaries as they provide a combat taxi service.
1. Animals
These dudes are buff
After going through to explain every gang in Cyberpunk 2077, the Animals are the final ones on our list. They have a focus on violence and instead of traditional cyberware methods of enhancing themselves, they lean on melee-focused cyberware and drugs like steroids.
No turf to call home means the Animals are found throughout the city, but mostly on the western side of Pacifica. You can spot them by their tattoos and buff builds. They like cosmetic changes outside of tattoos with stripes and other animal-like modifications.
Due to the interest in the primal nature of human beings, they try to become a new, powerful subspecies of the human race. To reach this goal, they have fighting rings and subject themselves to dangerous tasks.
Their community disperses into packs with the strongest man or woman being the leader of that subset of the larger organization. If any internal issues arise, they resolve it by fighting one another until someone admits defeat.
To afford to live and to be the dominant subspecies of humans, the Animals host illegal fights, sell drugs and raid a mix of residential districts, rival gang turf and drug companies. On the less extreme side of things, some hire them as bouncers for brothels and clubs or as racketeers for extortion.
After we went through explaining every gang in Cyberpunk 2077, which of them did you find most interesting? Let us know in the comments.
